Paddy Power is the first bookmaker to launch a betting tips service on Amazon Echo with customers able to request tips on the day’s sporting action from Alexa as part of their daily news.

Paddy Power has become the first bookmaker utilise Amazon Echo’s Alexa service to provide betting tips to customers.

The new ‘skill’ add-on app allows users to receive daily sports news, which will include betting tips, as part of their morning briefing from Alexa.

Digital marketing website The Drum have reported that Paddy Power’s first sports stories have been quirky ones with punters informed that Manchester United’s Juan Mata hates fish and chips and that rapper Snoop Dogg has taken up golf, amongst more serious sports news.

Speaking to The Drum, Paddy Power product researcher Stephen McMeel said of the service: “Of course, using your voice to interact with technology is nothing new,”

“Apple’s Siri has been around for more than five years – but people are generally too self-conscious to stroll around in public while barking orders into their smartphone,” Stephen McMeel, Paddy Power product researcher, told The Drum.

“Those clever sausages at Amazon have realised this, and are betting that people will feel more liberated when using devices within the comfort of their own homes – where strangers and neighbours can’t witness their deviant tendencies.

“I’m certainly a convert. Being able to set a timer with just your voice, when your hands are covered in raw chicken, is surprisingly satisfying.”

The new Paddy Power skill will be available on all Amazon’s Alexa enabled devices, including the Echo, Dot and Tap.